Aurora Borealis
by ChibiChibi
Summary: A series of one-shots following Bella and the Cullens as they deal with Bella's destiny and the other happenings in Blue Moon. The one-shots are set during Blue Moon and between Chapter 23 "Human" and the Epilogue.
1. Request

**_Aurora Borealis_**

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**A/N: This is the start of a series of one-shots all playing in my "Blue Moon"–verse. I probably should have told you that the one-shots will generally be short, only showing missing scenes that will provide the answers that you are most-likely still seeking, but I hope that you will read them anyway. :) And I'd be really grateful if you left a review and told me what you think of the chapters. :)**

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Request

**BPOV**

_September 16, 2006_

It was Saturday and I was sitting at the desk in Edward's (and my) room, staring down at a blank sheet of paper, while Edward was helping his brothers to load the truck that would bring parts of the furniture to the new houses. It was good that he was hanging out with them, even though Emmett and Jasper were now so much stronger than him. However, since we had returned, I had noticed that they were treating him as if nothing had changed between them. They were still brothers.

Edward and I had been back from our honeymoon for a few days now. The three weeks on Isle Esme had been like heaven on earth, truly our paradise, but unfortunately the weeks had passed too quickly and before we had known it, it had been time to return home – to our dear cloudy and rainy Forks.

But it had been good to see everyone again – I had to admit, even though I hadn't thought much of them while we had been lost in our own little world, I had missed my family. Thanks to Alice, they knew of course, what Edward and I had discussed about our future, and so the last few days had been pretty busy making arrangements for everyone.

The rest of the family would come with us to Hanover, as our siblings would attend Dartmouth along with us. Esme and Carlisle had bought two houses, which were lying pretty close to each other and also close to campus, but still far enough away from other humans to arouse suspicion. I admired Esme for always finding those spots. While the bigger house was meant for the immortals in our family, the smaller house was for Edward, me and Dawn – and I guessed Jake sometime in the not so far future.

Though saying that the house was small was a bit of an understatement. Esme had shown us the blueprints and photographs of this house and it was easily big enough to house all of the Cullens. But it was beautiful, two floors, warm red bricks and even a fireplace, and I had immediately fallen in love with it. I couldn't wait to see it in front of me with my own eyes.

Just two days ago, after we had been to London for the final arrangements, Dawn had come back to Forks with us and we had spent a couple of hours deciding who would get which room and what to do with the others. It had been a fun night, to say the last, and in the end we had agreed that Dawn would get her own living space, meaning a living room, a bedroom, bath and even a small kitchenette on the first floor, while Edward and I would take over the whole second floor. But seeing as Dawn's abilities in the kitchen were bordering of being dangerous, I had offered her a standing invitation for dinner. I really didn't care for our house burning down within a couple of weeks, or maybe even days.

However, before we had talked about our new house, I had a long conversation with Giles, while Dawn had shown Edward around the Watcher's Council, about what my training and work as the Slayer entailed. It was all very fascinating and it was already itching in my fingers to start the training for real. After all, the training for the confrontation with the Volturi had only been more of a crash course to get me ready for a battle. Now that I was about to start patrolling, there were so many more things to do and to learn.

And it was because one of the things that Giles had told me that I was now sitting here, brooding with a pen in my hand. One of the changes that had been made by the new Watcher's Council was that the Slayers could decide what should happen, if they were so badly wounded that there was no hope of survival. They asked each Slayer to write something like a will, which would be opened in case of something like this happening. Or maybe, a better word would be 'instructions'. Giles had named as example that Slayers might not wish to be kept alive by machines, while some parents wouldn't want to give up. In that case, it was the wish of the Slayer that counted. If a Slayer had written in the instructions to switch off the machines that kept her alive, the Council would do so.

Basically, deep in my heart, I knew what I wanted to write. But the other question was, would it be wise to do this? What would it destroy? Could I do this to Edward? To Charlie? What would the other Cullens say, if they found out? I'm sure that Alice would see it the moment I wrote it down. Would she stop me, or encourage it?

Eventually, after having pondered the pro and cons for a long time, I put my pen to the paper and began to write. My instructions would be simple, just three sentences, but I hoped that it would never come to this.

As soon as I was done, I folded the sheet of paper and put it into an envelope.

Step one was done. I had done it, I had written it down. But even when the words were written down, they were worthless if not all parties involved were willing to play their part. Giles had already hinted that nothing would stand in the way from the side of the Council – he had even emphasized that it was the will of the Slayer that counted, nothing else.

This meant that I only needed the approval of one more person.

After having taken a deep breath, I rose from my chair, the envelope clutched tightly in my hands, and left Edward's room. I could feel the person I was looking for in his study, but when I stopped in front of the door, I felt that I was scared. Of what? I didn't really know. By my hands were sweaty and my heart was beating hard and fast against my chest.

I didn't doubt for a moment that he already knew that I was there – my body was betraying me yet again – but I was happy that he was giving me the time I needed to gather my courage.

Knowing that I shouldn't postpone this any longer, I gently knocked on the door and stepped inside, when I heard the faint and gentle "Come in" on the other side.

Carlisle was sitting at his desk, medical journals lying in front of him. He was smiling at me, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. Some of my nervousness vanished – this was Carlisle, after all. He would never judge or condemn me.

"Bella, what can I do for you?" He closed the journal and turned his full attention towards me.

I hesitantly stepped forward and sat down in the chair across from him. "I… have a request…" I said eventually, slowly, and then launched into the explanation. "When I talked to Giles two days ago, he told me that the Watcher's Council encourages the Slayers to write a… a will, or for the lack of a better word, instructions that will tell the Council what to do, when a Slayer is heavily wounded."

"I see," Carlisle said thoughtfully. He was still looking at me calmly, waiting for me to continue.

With a burst of sudden bravery, I pushed the envelope across the desk towards my father-in-law. "This is what I have written. I'd like to hear your thoughts about it."

Chewing on my lower lip, I watched as Carlisle opened the envelope, unfolded the letter inside and quickly read the instructions. After he had folded the sheet of paper again and put it back into the envelope, he returned it to me. Then, he asked with a serious expression on his face, "Bella, are you aware what you are asking of me? Are you aware of the consequences this will have on your future? On Edward?"

I nodded firmly, having thought about this long and hard since Giles had told me about this. "I do… But Carlisle… it might never come to that. This is just a precaution. But… if something happened to me, if I'm so badly wounded that nothing can save me anymore, I'd like you to fulfill my request. Will you do it?"

Carlisle regarded me for an eternity, before he finally nodded as well. "I give you my word, Bella. If there's nothing else I can do for you anymore, I will fulfill your request."

Breathing a sigh of relief, I got up from the chair and smiled. "Thank you, Carlisle."

He only returned my smile and I left his study with a lighter heart.

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**A/N2: Alright, the first part of this series is done… What do you think? Like it? Hate it? I'd love to hear your thoughts about it!**

**And, just as with my fic "Blue Moon" I'd also love it, if there was maybe was a banner / wallpaper / etc. I could post alongside this series. You could even do separate ones for the different one-shots. So, if you're inspired and really want to do it, I won't stop you. :) You'll get all the credit for your work, of course :) **

**Chibi**


	2. William

**A/N: Here you are, the second installment of "Aurora Borealis". This time we jump, well, almost one year into the future and arrive at the end of a certain battle in LA, of which we have just seen the beginning.**

**Enjoy!**

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William

**BPOV**

_June 6, 2007_

Today was just my lucky day, I thought, as I was running through the filthy alleys of Los Angeles, chasing one of the many demons that we had fought tonight. Here I was, in sunny California, and it had poured all night. It had just stopped not so long ago, the clouds one again making way for the clear sky. However, this didn't change the fact that I was completely drenched, covered in dirt and dust and blood and demon goo, that I was dead tired and that Edward would surely have a fit, if he saw me now. Fortunately, he had to study for an exam and couldn't come to LA with us, so there was no way that he could see me like this.

The call had come in last night that we Slayers all had to go to LA ASAP, because a certain vampire with a soul had decided to take on a really evil big bad and his demon army all by himself. I didn't know the details of how this apocalypse had come about, but one thing was certain – to have even the slightest chance of winning this fight, all Slayers had to be mobilized and teleported to LA. They hadn't expected us, neither Angel nor the demons or whoever was pulling the strings, and we had managed to use the surprise to sway the tide.

Angel and his ragtag group of humans and demons – barely a handful and one of them was badly wounded I had heard in the course of the night – would have lost for sure. The other side had demons I hadn't even heard about in my studies and a real life dragon! Emmett, who had come along to fight with the rest of the Cullens, had been eager to fight the dragon (or maybe fly on him, I wasn't so sure anymore), but Angel had claimed the dragon for himself and I had seen him kill it in person about two hours ago.

After a long and hard and bloody battle we had won. The demons were either dead or retreating and though there once again had been losses on our side, we can safely say that we had just averted another apocalypse. Yay us! Now we just had to round up some of the demons that had decided to run away and after that we would be free to go home. I couldn't wait to have a long and relaxing bath, after I had taken a shower to wash all the goo off - preferably with Edward.

And rounding up the demons was what I was doing right now. Me and a couple of other Slayers had been fighting a group of demons, when one of them had suddenly decided to tuck his tail (literally speaking!) and make a run for it. With me being the first to notice him go away, I followed him, but damn, he was fast!

As I skidded around a corner, I was happy to see that the demon had run into a dead end. Gotcha! But we weren't the only ones in this alley, as I quickly realized. Two more were there – another demon and a man fighting it. It was still pretty dark in the alley, so I couldn't say for sure if I knew him or not, but he looked up, when he heard the growl of the other demon.

But this proved to be a fatal mistake, as the demon he had been fighting used this second of distraction and impaled the man with the pointy end of its very long tail. I gasped, as he clutched the wound with a shocked look on his face. This shocked look didn't last long, however, as it was replaced with a snarl and just another second later the demon had been beheaded. Now it was the two of us and the demon I had been chasing. It was looking back and forth between us, and after a quick look had passed between the man and me, we both jumped forward. The demon never stood a chance.

"You alright, pet?" the man asked me, both of us looking down at the demon we had just killed.

I nodded, as I looked up at him, noticing immediately how terrible he looked. He face was pale, waxy almost, his blond hair tousled from the rain and the fight, and his clothes – all black – were partly torn. It was clearly obvious that he wasn't alright, he was grimacing in pain and holding the spot right in the middle of his stomach where the demon's tail and pierced him.

"Let me take a look," I ordered, already bracing myself for the smell of blood that would surely assault me. While I would no longer faint at the smell of it, I was sure that I would still feel slightly ill, when there was a lot. And there really was a lot.

He took his hands away, both of them completely covered in blood. His face suddenly became even paler and he stumbled forward. I just managed to catch him and let him gently slide to the ground. The concrete was hard and damp, but we had no other choice at the moment. He groaned, as I pulled his black T-shirt up and I tried to keep a blank face, as I saw the wound. It was big, bleeding profusely and I was almost completely sure that important organs must have been damaged.

Even someone who wasn't a doctor could see that this wound would be fatal.

"So, what's the verdict, luv?"

He tried to sound nonchalant, but his face betrayed the pain he was really in. I looked into his eyes – which were a brilliant blue, I noticed absentmindedly – and I saw that he didn't need me to tell him how bad his situation was.

So, only lowering my head, I said, "I'm sorry… I don't think there's anything I can do…" And there wasn't, except for one thing, but I wouldn't force this upon him. I didn't want him to agree to something he might regret later.

However, instead of not doing anything at all, I took off the sweater I was wearing over a T-shirt, folded it quickly and pressed it to the wound. He hissed in pain, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, and I flinched, murmuring again, "Sorry…"

"'s alright, pet," he mumbled. "At least I'll be with a beautiful girl when I die." I felt myself blush at his comment and almost missed his even more quietly murmured, "Bloody Powers and their Shanshu… Just their idea of fun, I guess…"

"What do you mean?" I asked, trying to keep him with me by talking to him, though I didn't know if it were better if he didn't have to suffer long.

He barked out a laugh and immediately groaned in pain afterwards. "'s just, turning me into a real boy and then killing me off. Prob'ly needed to get rid of me so that their bloody champion Angel could be their only vampire with a soul…"

I didn't understand a lot of his rambling. He wasn't looking at me, but instead at the now blue sky above us. A stray ray of light fell directly on his face and for a moment, he looked almost peaceful, as he enjoyed the sun on his face with closed eyes. I thought that he had lost consciousness and was ready to let go of the wound, but then he suddenly continued to talk.

"Never thought I'd feel the sun on my face again," he whispered and there was a small smile tugging at his lips. Then his eyes opened again and focused on me. "What's your name, pet?"

"Bella."

"A fitting name."

I almost laughed, thinking it hilarious that he might think that I was beautiful, looking as disheveled as I was at this moment.

"I don't know you, so you weren't in Sunnydale. You must be one the Slayers that the Scoobies found after the town collapsed. You're a Slayer, aren't you?"

"Yeah," I said. "The Council found me last July."

"Guess it came as a shock, huh?"

"A bit," I admitted, careful not to mention that I had already been aware of the supernatural at that time. This would only lead to more questions and I didn't want him to exert himself even more as he was already doing. Still, there was one thing I wanted, no, needed to know. Just in case. For later. When he had died. "What's your name?"

He was smirking, as he replied, "The name's Spike, luv. Or maybe William, now that I'm human."

Suddenly, I froze. Spike. William. The Bloody.

Now everything made sense – his talking about becoming a real boy, about becoming human, about Sunnydale. That was the Spike who had destroyed the Hellmouth!

"You're Spike!" I blurted out. "The Spike! I thought you were dead!"

"Long story…" he mumbled grinning, though his face was again growing tense. "To make it short. Amulet that destroyed the Hellmouth and killed me got to Wolfram and Hart, I got out of the amulet, was a ghost at first, but then became corporeal again. Still a vampire with a soul. Then, suddenly, I get turned human today. And now I'm dying…"

He trailed off, again turning his eyes towards the sky. Now I understood why he enjoyed the sunlight so much. And now I also understood why he cursed the Powers That Be. He had finally gotten another chance at life, and when I had seen him fight, it had seemed that he had been stronger than a normal human. Something like a male Slayer, maybe? And now, just hours, if not minutes after having given him this gift, they were taking his life away.

I felt angry tears in my eyes at the injustice of this. I remembered what Dawn had told me about him, how Spike had, out of his love for Buffy, changed sides, how he had fought the good fight and for his redemption. He didn't deserve to die. He deserved to live.

And then, unbidden, I got an idea. I had pushed it aside earlier, but now the situation was completely different. I could save him. I could give him a future, not as a human, but a future nonetheless. If he agreed to it.

"Spike!" I hurriedly said. His eyes had fallen shut, so I shook him gently. They opened blearily. I was losing him. I didn't have much time left. "Please listen… I think… I think I know a way to save you…"

He blinked, and answered in a slur. "What'cha talkin' 'bout, pet?"

"I know someone, who can save you. Just… there's a catch. You'll have to give up mortality… and become a vampire again."

"Not int'rested in losin' me soul again…"

Shaking my head, I told him, "I'm talking about another kind of vampire, not at all like were before. You won't lose your soul, I swear. You'll keep it and your humanity. And you'll be stronger and faster and nearly indestructible. Not even the sun will hurt you anymore. The only real downside is that you'll have to drink blood again."

His eyes grew unfocused for a few seconds, until they briefly cleared again and he whispered, "Doesn' sound too bad. Better 'n dying."

"So, you want this?"

Spike seemed to think for a moment, before he nodded once and said, "Call yer frien'."

I nodded resolutely and squeezed his hand, as I turned to look over my head and called, "Carlisle!"

I didn't know how big the chances were that he would hear me, but with any luck Alice had seen that I might need him and had sent him my way. I waited, seconds turned into an eternity, but then he was there, at the entrance of the alley. He looked worried.

"Are you hurt, Bella?" he asked, as he quickly crossed the distance between us.

"I'm okay… He needs your help." I motioned to Spike, who was seemingly drifting in and out of awareness.

Carlisle took a look at his face and then turned his attention to my hands, which were still pressing the sweatshirt to the wound. "May I?"

I took the sweatshirt away and let Carlisle take a look at the wound. The expression on his face didn't look promising, so when he turned to me I already knew what he was going to say. "I'm sorry, Bella… He's beyond help. We can only try to make him more comfortable," he said quietly, so that Spike wouldn't hear him.

"No, he's not," I insisted. "There's still a way."

"Bella," Carlisle sighed. "You know I can't do it. It's against the agreement with the Council. I can't change all the people that are mortally wounded in the fight against the forces of darkness. I'm sorry."

"This is different," I said forcefully. "This man is Spike, the same Spike who saved the world, when the First tried to end it. He was returned from the dead or whatever he was and had decided to join Angel. Sometime during the fight last night the Powers turned him human and then he was wounded. I can't let him die, not now."

"Does he know what you want me to do?"

"Slayer's told me," Spike now said, though extremely quietly. "So, if yeh can save me, do it. 's long 's I keep my soul, I don't care if I'm mortal or immortal… Been immortal for the las' hundred years, after all."

Carlisle looked back at me and then at Spike and finally nodded. "You're right. This situation is different. When I've bitten him, we need Dawn to get him to Alaska. I'll call Tanya and tell her that they'll have a newborn guest. I'm sure they won't mind some male company."

"Thank you, Carlisle," I breathed. Turning to Spike with an encouraging smile, I squeezed his hand and said, "Everything is going to be alright, I promise."

"Thanks, pet… I hope I'll see you again."

"Bella, please go and find Dawn. It's better that you're not around, when I do it."

"Okay…" I rose from the ground and took one good look at Spike, knowing that, when everything worked, I would first see him again in one year, at the earliest. "See you, Spike."

And then I was running, looking for Dawn, but even in the distance I could hear Spike's first scream, when the venom began to burn through his veins.

I only hoped that he would never regret having made this decision.


	3. Changed

**A/N: So, it took me a while, because I wanted to finish another story first and then my muse had been more willing to cooperate with me while writing yet another story. But now, after seeing Breaking Dawn, I was once again inspired to get out the next installment of this series.**

**Enjoy!**

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**Changed**

**EPOV**

_March 16, 2011_

_What a day_, I thought, as the cries from the room next door wouldn't stop. I was all alone at home, trying to compose a paper for medical school. I had originally thought of recycling one of my old ones, but seeing as how fast the field of medicine had advanced since I had last gone to medical school, I almost had no other choice but to start from scratch. On top of that I had my last midterm this morning and hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. Now I was beat, exhaustion being a concept that had been hard getting used to after almost a century of never growing physically tired.

Oh, how I longed to lay down in bed and get a nap, preferably next to my Bella, but both things weren't an option. This paper was due next week and Bella had been called by Dawn earlier this afternoon. They had found a demon nest and even though Bella hadn't originally been scheduled for slaying today, one of the other girls in Dawn's group had broken an arm and couldn't go out. That's where my Bella came in, too good for this world, and had agreed to go instead.

How could I have refused her, when she had looked at me with her soulful brown eyes and pouty lips? I knew how much Slaying meant to her and when Dawn had called, I couldn't possibly have asked her to stay, even after she had repeatedly asked me if I was sure that it was okay. Oh, my sweet Bella, always thinking of others first and never of herself. She felt guilty for leaving Nessie in my care, when I was so busy and exhausted, but I had accepted that Slaying was a part of Bella's life and that she could never be happy without it. So I had just kept reassuring her that Nessie and I were going to be alright until Dawn finally came through her own portal to get Bella to London for the briefing.

I pulled at my hair, as after another ten minutes I hadn't written another word and Nessie still hadn't calmed down. Every parent says that sometimes children just needed to cry and that you shouldn't always go to them, when they did, but I finally couldn't tolerate my daughter's heart-wrenching cries any longer, saved the document and went to her.

Our little wonder was sitting in her bed, her face deep red and streaked with tears. Her brown eyes – Bella's brown eyes – immediately searched for me, when I entered her room, and she eagerly held out her arms to be picked up, when she spotted me. I sighed. My girls, they both had me wrapped around their little finger.

Her cries didn't calm, when I had gathered her in my arms. She buried her face in my shirt, hiccupping and sobbing, her tiny fists clenched. "Hush, Nessie," I whispered soothingly. "Can you tell daddy what's wrong?"

Of course she couldn't. She was, after all, not even two years old, but sometimes it almost seemed as if she could really show us. Bella and I had both experienced these weird moments, when we suddenly knew what our little sunshine wanted, when we held her. But maybe it was like this with every child and their parents. We wouldn't know.

She was sitting on my hip, still clutching my shirt, as I went into the living room and sat down on the piano bench. Nessie usually calmed down, when I played something, so maybe it would work this time, too. I put my fingers on the keys with Nessie on my lap and began to play. Bella's lullaby came to me naturally – one of Nessie's favorites as well – but somehow it didn't work this time.

I had just finished the lullaby and wanted to start on the piece I had written for Nessie, when the doorbell rang. Immediately, a bad feeling shot through me, but I calmed my racing heart by taking a deep breath. "Come on, Ness," I whispered, "let's see who's at the door."

Once again settling her on my hip, I walked to the front door. And really, I shouldn't have been surprised, when I opened it and was greeted by a bouncing ball of energy in the form of my sister. "Alice," I said relieved. "Please come in."

"Hello Edward," she said smiling, and immediately took Nessie from me. Cooing, she wiped a few tears out of Nessie's face. "Hello Nessie."

My little angel sniffed, now burying her face in Alice's most likely very expensive designer dress. This, however, never seemed to bother my sister. She adored my daughter too much to be cross with her because of something like this.

"You're my hero, Alice," I told her.

"Of course," she winked. "How could I ignore my favorite brother's plight? Now, go back to your paper and leave Nessie to me. We girls are going to have so much fun!"

I felt a bit bad for not caring for my daughter personally, when she was so distraught, but on the other hand, Nessie was in good hands now and I could finally concentrate again on my work without having to worry. Well, I would always worry, of course, but I could trust Alice. Maybe her visions could tell her what Nessie needed.

Alice and Nessie went back into the living room and I retreated into the study, once again trying to concentrate on the paper. It was a bit difficult at first, as Nessie was still crying, but just a short time later, she quieted down and I found myself once again fully immersed in the topic.

Until I was suddenly torn out of my concentration, when I heard something shatter on the floor, followed by my daughter's cries. I immediately jumped up and hurried to the living room. Nessie and Alice were sitting at the dining table, obviously playing tea party (with the expensive china that Alice had given Nessie for this occasion last Christmas) but one of the cups was lying in pieces on the floor.

Alice's cup.

Her face was blank. She was having a vision. And my daughter was sitting in her highchair, her face again red and tears once again running down her face.

For the second time that day, my heart seemed to stop. Vampires didn't just drop things and the only other time this had happened, Alice had had the vision of the Volturi's attack.

"Alice?" My breath caught in my throat, my voice just a quiet croak. Why didn't she just snap out of her vision? "Alice?"

Finally, she snapped out of it and gazed at me with wide eyes. "Edward…"

No… _No, no, no, no, no!_

My cell phone rang and without even looking at the screen, I just knew who it was. "Dawn?"

"_Edward… I'm so, so, sorry…"_ She was sobbing and I was slowly starting to panic.

"Dawn! What's going on? Tell me!"

"_It's Bella,"_ she sobbed. "_A demon wounded her. Edward… it's really bad. So bad that we had to follow her request to call Carlisle first…"_

The phone dropped to the floor and I felt numb. As a Watcher in Training I knew about the requests of the Slayers, but Bella had never told me what she had written. But now, now I knew…

The next ten minutes passed in a blur. Alice must have taken the phone and talked to Dawn, because just a short time later, Dawn opened a portal for us to step through. Nessie's cries had faded into the background, as I could only think about Bella, my love, my life. I had always feared that one day, a demon would get her, but whenever that thought crossed my mind, I pushed it far away. This was something I never wanted to think about, because I never again even wanted to imagine what it would be like to live without Bella. But now, now it had happened. And I hadn't been able to protect her.

Now, more than ever, I wished I was again a vampire. At this moment, I missed the strength, the speed, even the ability to read minds. If I had still been a vampire, Bella wouldn't have been hurt, she wouldn't be…

I was only vaguely aware that Alice led me through the portal, but instead of arriving at the Watcher's Council in London, we arrived at my parents' house, which was only ten minutes away from our house. The moment I stepped through, I was engulfed in my mother's arms. I allowed myself a moment of her comfort, before I pulled away. "Where is she?"

"Oh, Edward…" Her eyes were brimming with tears that she couldn't shed.

"Mom, where is she?"

At that moment, Carlisle came down the stairs. The expression on his face was a serious and professional one, as he said, "Edward, I don't think it's wise for you to see her right now…"

All of a sudden, the numbness faded and I was angry. Why did they want to keep her from me? "Don't you tell me what's wise for me to do! I'm her husband! I have to see her!"

"Edward, you're scaring Nessie," Alice mumbled. I hadn't even realized that Alice had brought her along, but then I remembered that no one else had been at home, not even Jake, who was visiting his father in La Push.

Forcing myself to calm down, for my daughter's sake – oh Nessie, what would we do without your mommy? – I once again demanded quietly, "I want to see Bella."

Carlisle regarded me for a long moment, his gaze holding my own, and when I didn't look away, he nodded. "Alright, follow me."

He went back up the stairs and I went after him, after giving Alice a begging look to take care of Nessie while I was away. But I hadn't even needed to ask – my family would always watch after my daughter.

Carlisle stopped in front of the closed door that led to the room that was Bella's and mine, whenever we visited. I swallowed hard and my heart sped up, as I wondered what exactly would await me on the other side of the door.

Obviously hearing this, he turned to me. "Edward… Before you go in, I'd like to fill you in on what's happened. Dawn is still too distraught to do this, so…" I nodded at him to go on, even though I only wanted to go to my Bella. "According to Dawn, there shouldn't have been any problems. It was a small nest, the Slayers were all experienced, and no one knew what had gone wrong. They had everything under control, until the last demon unexpectedly broke free and went straight for the Slayer closest to the exit. Bella. It impaled her on its horns before anyone could react, and then broke her spine. It was a miracle that she hadn't died on the spot. The Slayers and Dawn brought her to the Council and then called me."

"Why? Why you and not me?"

"It's been Bella's request. In case she was wounded so badly that no other person could help her, they were to call me, because I'd be the only one who could save her."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. So it was true.

"So… could you?"

"Her heart's still beating," was Carlisle simple answer.

Nodding, I closed my hand around the doorknob and as he didn't do anything to stop me, I opened it and stepped inside. The moment I had entered the room, I was hugged once again, this time by Dawn, who was repeatedly mumbling how sorry she was.

"It's okay, Dawn… it wasn't your fault." She nodded sniffling and let go of me. "How… how is she?"

"Her heart's still beating and the wounds are already healing," she mumbled, as we both went to my Bella's side.

I carefully sat down on the soft bed and took her hand that was lying on the covers. Her hand was so cold, so lifeless, so not Bella. "Why is she so still?" She should be screaming, writhing in pain.

"I gave her morphine, before I injected the venom," Carlisle explained. "I believe it helps with the pain."

I didn't answer, hoping that Carlisle was right and Bella didn't feel any pain.

* * *

One day passed. Two days… I barely left the room. I barely slept. I wanted to spend every moment with Bella that I still could. Soon I would have to leave her, at least for one year. Until she was able to tolerate the presence of a human. Of Nessie and me.

Sometimes, Nessie was with me. But she didn't understand why her mother was sleeping, why she didn't react, when she called her. Why she couldn't lie in her arms. How could I explain to her that her mommy was changing and that it would be a long time until she could hug her again?

And what would I do? I knew from my own experience how difficult it was to be with a human, and I had had decades of experience before I met Bella. If I asked Carlisle to change me as well, what would happen to Nessie? I didn't want to lose my little angel, but at the same time I couldn't imagine a life without Bella.

I didn't know how many tears I had shed in those long and never-ending days. Probably enough to make up for all the years, when I couldn't cry. My family tried to comfort me, tried to get me to eat, to drink, to get some fresh air. They weren't very successful. Even Jake, having cut the visit to La Push short upon hearing from Dawn what had happened, came back immediately and spent the hours he didn't use to comfort Dawn at Bella's other side – always her best friend.

We never talked.

And then, a few hours before the third day was up, Alice came into the room, where Nessie and I were sitting at Bella's side. "Edward, it's time. You better leave now."

Her voice was quiet, almost careful, as if afraid that I might lash out at her. But now I had to think of my daughter. I couldn't leave her in the presence of a newborn. And Bella would never forgive herself, if she hurt one of us, so we had to go. Even if this was the last thing I wanted to do.

"Take Nessie downstairs for me? I just want to say goodbye…"

"Okay…" Alice mumbled, as she gathered my daughter in her arms and left the room. We had agreed that Esme would take Nessie and me home and that they would call, once they knew how Bella was.

Slowly and reluctantly, I rose from the bed and looked down at my wife. Over the past two days, all her wounds had healed and she had become as beautiful as just an immortal could become. Of course, in my eyes she had always been beautiful, but this beauty had now been enhanced.

"Goodbye, Bella," I whispered, as I leaned down and gently pressed my lips against her cold and hard ones. Like marble. Not like my old Bella, but in a way it was still her. She would always be my Bella. "I love you."

Again, everything after I left the room was a daze. I was sitting in the passenger seat of Carlisle's Mercedes, Esme was driving and Nessie was safely strapped into her seat in the backseat. Silent tears were once again leaking out of my eyes, even though I wanted to scream and rage at the unfairness of this all. Bella and I finally had a life, we had a beautiful daughter and I was finally happy as a human. So why now? Why destroy everything now?

Suddenly, my cell phone rang and I hurriedly answered it. "Alice?"

For two seconds, there was nothing. But then it wasn't Alice who said, "Edward?"

Her voice was like bells, musical and clear, and yet I would recognize it everywhere. "My Bella…"


	4. Curls

**A/N: So sorry for making you wait this long for another update. Real life's been crazy. I'm preparing for my final exams in May, after which I'm finally a real teacher! But a reviewer kindly asked me to update and I finally made myself find some time to write. And here it is! I hope you'll like it!**

* * *

**Curls**

**SPOV**

_March 10, 2032_

The poet in me would probably say that I noticed her the moment she entered the club, that my eyes were immediately drawn to her, just as she was drawn to me. That my still heart would start to beat again, when our eyes met for the first time. But as it was, I first took notice of her, when the reason why I was in the club in the first place began to pay attention to her. Still, the moment I laid my eyes on her, I wondered how I could have missed her before.

She had long, bronze-colored curls, going down to the middle of her back and her skin was pale, almost as pale as my own, and smooth with only a few freckles around her nose. All of this made it obvious to everyone in the club that she wasn't a native of Rio de Janeiro or Brazil in general. But this was where the differences ended, as she could move just like the best of Rio's dancers on the dance floor. This, along with her outfit – a golden halter-neck, only tied together on her back with a thin strap, a very short golden skirt and golden high-heels – caught a lot of attention of the males in the club.

My prey and I were no exception, as her outfit left little to imagination.

It was easy to see how toned her body was, used to working out, without being too muscular. She was slim, with just the right curves in all the right places. And she apparently knew how to use her body very well.

In a way, she reminded me a lot of the Slayers I knew.

Over the course of the next minutes I continued to watch her. It was impossible to look away. She was absolutely mesmerizing.

And completely forbidden.

The low growl that erupted from my chest, when one of the boys on the dance floor dared to touch her, surprised even me. I had to resist the urge to enter the dance floor myself and rip the boy's hands off. It was hard not to give in to this urge, almost impossibly hard, but my torture was ended, when she suddenly left the dance floor and walked over to the bar. Without even realizing it, I followed her and sat down on the stool next to her, just as she ordered a drink in flawless Portuguese.

"It's on me. And I'd like a beer," I told the bartender, in just as perfect Portuguese, just as she wanted to take some money out of her purse – inside I saw her ID, telling me that her name was Vanessa Wolfe, twenty-two years old, and that she was a citizen of the good old US of A.

Slightly surprised, she turned towards me. Her movement caused her scent to reach me for the first time that night, finding its way to me through the smell of sweat and other unappetizing odors. She smelled of strawberries with a hint of freesia and sunshine. Absolutely mouthwatering. Having to swallow, I took a split second to compose myself, before I took a good look at her face. My eyes met hers and suddenly the world stood still. And it was true, the moment my golden eyes met her deep, brown and soulful ones, it felt as if my heart could suddenly beat again. I fell in love with them immediately. Her delicious scent was completely pushed to the back of my mind.

"Obrigada," she said to me with a crooked grin.

"You're welcome, luv," I told her in English this time, though she didn't seem to be surprised by this, and I flashed her my famous smirk. At that moment, the bartender handed me my drink and I paid for her cocktail and my beer. Raising my glass to hers, I said, "Cheers."

"Cheers," she replied, taking a sip of her drink, while I just pretended to take one of mine. It was too bad, really, that food now only tasted like dirt. I really missed my onion rings. And the booze.

"So, Curls, what brings you to good ol' Rio? Business or pleasure?"

She raised her eyebrows at me, probably at the use of the nickname that just slipped past my lips. I didn't know why I called her that, as I had used this nickname only once many years ago on a small toddler. "My name's Ness," she told me coolly, "and believe it or not, I'm here strictly for business."

This time, it was me who raised his eyebrows. "Business, really? Looked a lot like pleasure to me."

"Well, looks can be deceiving, Blondie Bear."

I couldn't help it, I laughed. Loudly. There was only one person, who had ever called me this, and she couldn't be more different to the girl sitting next to me.

"I guess I deserved that," I finally said, once I had managed to get my laughter under control. People had already started to give us strange looks. "I'm William, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, William," the bronze-haired girl said, extending her right hand towards me.

Hesitating for a moment, as I was always a bit anxious about how people would react to my cold and hard skin, I rubbed the hand on my dark jeans. Maybe she would think that they were sweaty, but instead I tried to create some warmth through the friction. Finally, knowing that I couldn't delay any longer, I carefully took her hand. "The pleasure is mine, Ness."

If she was bothered by my cold hand, she didn't show it. And if she noticed the same electrical current run through her fingers as I did, she didn't show it either. And bloody hell, I wanted her to feel that current. I'd never felt anything this amazing before, not even with…

"So, you're from England?" Ness asked, tearing me out of my thoughts. She was again drinking from her cocktail, looking at me with interest in her eyes.

"Born and raised," I told her. "But I moved around a lot, when I was old enough to do so."

"Really? Where've you been to?"

"China, Germany, the States… Brazil," I added with a grin.

"That's a lot of places… I've travelled a bit myself, but mostly in Europe and the USA. My grandpa is actually from England."

"Always on business, I assume?" I asked her with a teasing grin.

"Mostly. I was born in the USA and grew up there, but I went to university in England. After I got my degree, I decided to do some work and travel. And now, here I am."

"And what exactly is it you do?"

"Me?" she asked, winking at me. "Don't you want to know? And now, please excuse me, business is calling."

She downed the last of her cocktail, clutched her purse and got up. Then, without another word, she turned on her heel and left me at the bar. I couldn't believe that she was just leaving like this, in the middle of our conversation. But then I saw where she was going, or better what she was doing. The guy I had followed into this club, the reason why I had even met her, was now leaving the club with a Latina on his arms. And Ness was following them.

_Bloody hell!_

Ignoring the startled shouts of the people I shoved aside, I hurried after them. I wanted to go faster, much faster, but there were too many people here, too many witnesses.

Finally, after too many precious seconds had passed, I made it to the exit and could already hear the muffled scream from the back alley next to the club. Knowing that I now had no time to lose, I began to run, going faster than I should in such a populated area, with the carnival going on all around me.

But when I got there, I stopped dead in my tracks. The Latina was cowering at one wall, crying, but Ness was fighting that guy. And they were equal! No, she was better. Much better. She was… strong. She was dancing… Like a….

"Slayer…" the vampire hissed in heavily accented English.

"Sorry," Ness quipped, ramming a stake into his chest. "Got the wrong girl."

And then, the vampire I had been stalking almost the whole night exploded into a cloud of dust.

"Stop gawking, Spike," Ness said grinning, as she walked past me. "I don't think mosquitoes have enough blood in them to quench your thirst."

This tore me out of my thoughts. "Wait… how do you know who I am?"

"Puh-lease," she said, still grinning. "Who _doesn't_ know you at the Council, or at least of you? Besides, the hair gave it away."

Running my hand through my still platinum blond hair, I sighed almost inaudibly. When Carlisle had changed me, no one had thought that I'd be stuck forever with this hair color, seeing as my hair didn't grow any more. I was only slowly getting used to this thought. "So, you're a Slayer?"

Rolling her eyes, Ness replied, "Haven't you been listening? I'm no Slayer. I'm just a demon hunter. But my mother is one. I believe you know her," she then added with a smirk. "My mom's Bella Cullen."

"Bella…?" I asked incredulously, and then I laughed as I realized that the beautiful woman in front of me was the same little girl I had met once twenty-one years ago. A short time before Bella had been forced to be changed. "I can't believe that you are little Nessie Cullen, all grown up. How are Bella and Edward? I haven't heard from your mom in ages."

"They're good," Ness told me, but then grimaced slightly. "But please, don't call me Nessie. Ness is much better. Besides, Ness fits with my alias here."

"Vanessa Wolfe."

"Yeah. Dawn invented this alias for me. Mom and dad don't know that I'm hunting demons, they believe I'm really just travelling and doing odd jobs, so please don't tell them. My dad's so overprotective. He would come and get me the moment he finds out what I'm really doing."

"Don't worry, Curls, I won't tell them a thing," I promised her. "So, what now?"

"Now we're going back inside. Slaying always makes me hungry."

"Not horny?" I asked her, wriggling my eyebrows suggestively, as I remembered how Faith always claimed that Slaying usually made all Slayers hungry and horny."

"You're a pig, Spike."

"And you're not the first one to tell—" I was cut off, when I suddenly felt her warm lips on mine. My senses went into overdrive, as they were overwhelmed by her scent, by her warmth, by her touch. The same current I had already felt in my fingers, when I had touched her hand, was now tingling on my lips. But much to my dismay, she pulled away as suddenly as she had kissed me, leaving me breathless. "Do you always kiss strange vampires?" I asked hoarsely.

"No," she shook her head, grinning, though there was a slightly dazed look on her face. "Only annoying ones, who give me annoying nicknames."

"Then maybe I should keep calling you 'Curls'."

"Watch it, Blondie Bear. And now, let's go back inside. I'm starving." She threw me one more smirk, before she turned on her heel and left the alley.

"As you wish… Curls," I said with a smirk and followed her back inside.


	5. Shrink

**A/N: Sorry, this really took a long time. RL caught up with me and kept me from writing, this and a major writer's block for Twilight. But when I finally watched Breaking Dawn Part 2 last night, I suddenly found the words to finish this one-shot (which I had already started months ago). So, enjoy!**

* * *

**Shrink**

**EPOV**

_January 24, 2007_

I couldn't believe that I had let Xander talk me into this. Never in my life and unlife had I imagined that it would come to this, but here I was, pacing in front of a wooden door at the Watchers Council. I had been here right on time, but now almost five minutes had passed, since I just couldn't summon the courage it took to knock on that infernal door.

Still, I couldn't procrastinate anymore and I had promised Xander that I would at least give it a try. So, with a deep sigh, I finally raised my hand, knocked and then opened the door. Even here at the Council, where the security was one of the best, no one invited other persons in. If someone didn't want you to come in, they simply locked the door.

Inside, sitting at her desk, was a middle-aged woman with deep auburn hair pulled into a simple ponytail. She pushed her dark-rimmed glasses up her nose, when she heard me come in and smiled at me. "Mr. Cullen," she said, still smiling welcomingly, as she got up to shake my hand. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"Ms. Catterham," I replied, taking her hand in my own. "How do you do?"

"Please, sit down…" She motioned to the comfortable looking chair in front of her desk, and I complied, swallowing hard, sitting down. She took again her own seat and smiled at me. Almost as if she was waiting for me to say something. Something I couldn't do. My hands felt clammy and basically the only thing I wanted to do was leave this room and never come back. "So… How can I help you?"

Shaking my head, I replied, "I don't know. Xander… Mr. Harris, he thought that it would be a good idea for me to come to talk to you… that he'd had similar problems and that you have helped him."

"What Xander and I talked about is something I cannot tell you, as you surely understand, but yes, I believe that your… _problem_… might be similar to his."

"How do you know?"

"Mr. Cullen… may I call you Edward?" I nodded, slowly getting used to the growing informality among the employees of the New Watchers Council. "Good… then call me Sylvia, please. Edward, I believe there is no one at the Council who doesn't know your story… what's happened to you. I image that it can't be easy. I mean the changes you have gone through."

I exhaled deeply, still not really wanting to talk about anything. I couldn't imagine that just talking about it could help me. In fact, I still refused to admit that there even was a problem. I had just come here as a favor to Xander, nothing else. "I'm fine. Honestly. I mean… I'm human. That's all I ever wanted for Bella and me. That we could grow old together, have kids… everything we couldn't have had, if I had changed her and we were vampires. So…" I trailed off, not knowing what more to say, and hoping that I could finally go again.

"So… you don't mind that Bella is now stronger than you?"

"No," I told her, shaking my head vehemently. And it was true. It wasn't that Bella was stronger than me… it was… "I… Argh…."

I suddenly jumped up from the chair and began to walk around the room, first now noticing all the different kinds of books on her shelves. There was a lot of literature about psychology, but there were also normal novels, even this series about a young girl falling in love with a vampire, which was all the rage with the Slayers nowadays. I hadn't read them, but according to what I heard the girls talk about, it reminded me a bit of Bella's and my story.

Out of the corners of my eyes, I saw Ms. Catterham – Sylvia – watching me, but I ignored her. Instead, I pulled a book from the shelves without asking. It was called Psych 101 and had somehow caught my attention. However, while I was flipping through the book, recognizing some names of renowned psychologist, I suddenly started to talk quietly, "It isn't that Bella's stronger than me… What bothers me… is that… I'm weak…."

I glanced at Sylvia and she nodded at me encouragingly. With a sigh, I closed the book. However, I didn't sit down again. I was too agitated to sit still.

So, still speaking quietly, I forced myself to continue. "I barely remember my first human life. I basically only know what I saw in Carlisle's mind. So all I've ever really known was being a vampire, being strong, fast… almost invincible. And now… as much as I love being human, I hate that I'm so weak. I hate that I can't protect Bella anymore… although she doesn't need any protecting. Every time she goes off to patrol… I feel so helpless. Every time I'm with my brothers, I feel like an idiot. I can't keep up with them anymore. I feel as if I don't belong in their world anymore."

I sighed, realizing that I had revealed more than I had wanted to tell her. I had planned to go to Ms. Catterham and tell her that I didn't need her help, so that I could quickly leave again and go back to my life. But inwardly, I must have needed to tell someone this more than I had thought. Someone who wasn't involved in my life. Someone who could help me.

"Thank you, Edward," her gentle voice tore me out of my thoughts. "For opening up… For taking this first step. This is something we can work with in the future… if you wish to see me again."

Did I want to see her again? Hell no! Never in my life had I wanted to go to a shrink. But I needed to see her. I needed to get a grip on my insecurities, so that I could be the man that Bella deserved. "Okay…" I agreed simply. "Is next week, the same time okay?"

Sylvia looked into her diary for a moment, before answering, "Sounds good. So, I'll see you next week."

Nodding, I turned to go, almost forgetting that I was still holding the book in my hands. However, just as I wanted to put it back on the shelf, Sylvia's voice stopped me. "You can borrow it, if you want. I've heard that you're pretty good at reading people."

"Yes… many people say this…" I told her. "When I was a vampire, this… ability… transformed into the power of mindreading."

There was a secretive smile on her face, as she told me, "Then read the book, Edward. Maybe this will help you to choose in which direction your medical studies will take you."

"Thank you," I said to her, meaning it.

As I left the office, I was already feeling a lot calmer than before, and knew that the next time, it wouldn't take as much courage to come back. If Sylvia could really help me to become someone who could fully accept what being a human meant, with all the strengths and weaknesses, I needed to come back.

But even though I knew that it could take a long time until I saw some progress, until I no longer was so angry, so distressed about being so weak, so helpless, I knew that with her help, I could make it, that I could eventually be _only_ human and without regretting or missing anything.


End file.
